Chapter 259 Scheme to Divide -7
Chapter 259 Scheme to Divide -7
Alex approached the table where Jiha and Yura were seated.
The eagle beastman, an old acquaintance, followed at his side.
When yet another beastman appeared after Uben, the other patrons looked deeply uncomfortable.
These were the sort who never doubted their own importance, the type who would normally summon the owner and raise hell over the slightest offense... yet they kept their mouths shut.
'They're wary of Alex.'
As a celestial and the chairman of the Species Alliance, Alex wielded formidable political power. Even men who threw their weight around because of their money couldn't afford to treat him carelessly.
"It's been a while. Jutem."
"......."
Jiha addressed his greeting to the eagle beastman, not Alex.
Hearing his own name, Jutem looked slightly startled, then snorted dismissively and turned his head away with a sharp jerk.
The reaction was like that of a haughty beauty playing aloof. The beastman was determined to stay firmly in the role of Alex's escort.
Smiling, Alex took the seat opposite Jiha.
"It has been some time for me as well, Jiha."
"Better get a good look while you can. Never know when that chance might disappear."
Jiha tossed out a remark that was open to interpretation.
Without any sign that the words bothered him, Alex shifted his gaze to Yura.
"And the young lady over there, aren't you the succubus Unique, Lady Yura Hairedeu? I've wanted to meet you for quite some time. It truly is an honor. The two of you make a remarkably well-matched pair."
"Ah, you really think so?"
Yura laughed bashfully, uncertain what to do with herself.
She quickly tried to compose her expression, but the corners of her mouth kept trying to curl upward despite her efforts.
The remark that she and Jiha made a good match had hit home perfectly.
Well, Alex's social skills were outstanding. No surprise there.
"Enough flattery. Let's get to the point."
"Shall we discuss the details over a meal?"
"I already ate."
When Jiha replied evenly, Alex nodded.
"Then we'll keep it simple."
Alex called a server over and ordered drinks and a few light snacks.
Before the drinks arrived, Alex smiled faintly and spoke.
"I heard that Heinrich is dead. A regrettable loss, but such things are unavoidable."
Alex dismissed Heinrich's death in a single sentence.
Ouroboros truly regarded its members as disposable.
'They know there will always be more bastards lining up to take the spot if they're offered power. Heinrich wasn't even worth mourning...'
Alex continued in the same offhand tone.
"How was the Bugra?"
"It worked."
Jiha decided to hand over a reasonable amount of information.
If he wanted to learn more about Ouroboros and make use of Alex, he had to keep his cards close to his chest early on.
Alex nodded, satisfied.
"Good. Very good. Now we've confirmed that it works on a Unique. The time has finally come."
"Time for what?"
"Why, time to turn this world on its head, of course."
Alex spoke those dangerous words with perfect elegance.
"You're saying you can produce more of that drug?"
"Impossible at present, but that will soon be resolved."
"By summoning them here?"
"......."
Alex's face registered considerable shock.
"Hmm. You're impressive. Truly impressive. How do you know that?"
"I'm a man of some talent."
Jiha had dangled the bait using what he already knew.
From what Taigirl had said, the ingredient was extraordinarily rare. Bugra wasn't something they could just produce at will.
And considering Lowchen's true objective—bringing Shade, who had been exiled to another dimension, back to Warsland—
'Ouroboros's goal is to force the advent of an entity from another dimension into Warsland. Which means the ingredient problem for Bugra gets resolved as part of that process.'
Alex nodded.
"Very well. A number of things have happened, but I'll acknowledge it. You are qualified to join Ouroboros. You've proven your skill by dealing with Heinrich, and you've confirmed that Bugra works on a Unique. You've earned considerable merit, so we must promise you a seat worthy of it."
"Going to make me one of the Five Kings?"
"I will put my full weight behind the recommendation."
Jiha asked the next question as casually as the last.
"What about Lowchen?"
"Pardon?"
"Lowchen Amaut. Is that bastard one of the Five Kings, too?"
Even at a glance, Lowchen was clearly no ordinary existence. And if Pairan admitted at once that he was stronger than her, the man had to be several cuts above a typical fighter.
Alex surely had things he was keeping hidden, and while he had both skill and political acumen, his mental fortitude was weak.
Lowchen, on the other hand, didn't seem to have any openings.
Alex's smile turned bitter.
"Truthfully, the position was meant for him... but he declined."
"What's the story there?"
"You should hear the details from him directly. Though I understand you've already met."
"He and I aren't on good terms."
Alex shook his head as if there was nothing to be done about it.
His expression was that of a man who already considered Jiha an ally, a full member of Ouroboros.
"Ouroboros demands proof of loyalty. He refused to provide it, so despite having the strength to become a king, he remains a high-ranking operative."
"Proof of loyalty..."
"You, too, will soon be required to give it."
With an elegant gesture, Alex indicated Yura.
She had been quietly listening to the conversation, and the sudden gesture left her looking bewildered.
"By offering your Unique to the organization."
"......."
'This bastard was still on about that.'
Jiha was laughing inwardly when the drinks they had ordered arrived.
Alex poured the drink into Jiha's glass and then filled his own.
Raising a glass that shimmered with deep red, Alex spoke.
"Welcome to Ouroboros, Jiha."
"What about the men who don't have a woman? How do they prove their loyalty?"
"Ah, it need not be a woman. One must simply amass achievements that shatter the existing order. But as that existing order is the order of female superiority and male inferiority... killing or offering a woman of high rank is, naturally, the fastest path."
Jiha asked the next question with perfect calmness.
"What became of Gashiel Remaker?"
"......."
At the mention of his sister's name once again, Alex's face stiffened.
He had conversed with total composure the entire time, but the moment Gashiel's name surfaced, his face went rigid and guarded.
'He reacts like a child who's terrified someone will take his toy.'
Alex hurried to force a smile.
"Why bring up my sister's name all of a sudden..."
"I haven't seen her around lately. Wondered where she went."
"......."
Jiha stared directly into Alex's wavering eyes.
"Purple might run a controlled society, but a Unique who was perfectly fine here in Waris suddenly vanishing without a trace? That isn't strange to you? I've kept asking around and nobody can even say where she's gone. Though thanks to that, I've been able to handle things more easily."
With Leticia as the only Purple Unique left, Jiha had been able to navigate things with far less resistance early on.
"I wondered if she was on some secret mission for Purple, but the absence has dragged on far too long. You wouldn't happen to know anything, would you?"
"I have no idea why you would ask me."
Alex was smiling, but his pupils trembled faintly.
"It has been quite some time since I last heard any news of my sister. If you do come to learn anything, would you be sure to pass word to me?"
"......."
Jiha tapped the table and watched him in silence.
Under that unblinking gaze, Alex's expression slowly hardened.
'Definitely a raw nerve...'
Alex harbored a fixation on his sister Gashiel that went beyond the ordinary. That much was certain.
His own blood relative was a Unique. He could have comfortably shared in her power and wealth... which meant his decision to join Ouroboros, an antisocial secret society, was no casual choice.
When Jiha applied pressure with nothing but silence, Alex tried to change the subject.
"There is the rite of submission to the dragon to attend to..."
"I think I know where Gashiel is."
Alex closed his mouth.
His eyes shook with unease, then hardened into a glare fixed on Jiha.
'Gashiel's disappearance is tied to this bastard.'
Jiha was certain of it now.
An interrogation technique: pretend to know more than you do about the unknown parts and keep pushing.
Alex might possess superb social skills and political sense, but the moment Gashiel came up, he behaved like nothing more than a young boy.
Alex swallowed hard and stared at Jiha.
The look on his face was that of a man trying to determine what Jiha knew, and precisely how much.
"The others don't know, do they?"
"......."
A bead of sweat slid down from Alex's forehead, tracing a path over his cheek and down to his throat.
'This bastard is no absolute power. He's called a king, but in the end, he's just one of five. He still has to mind the others and do as he's told from above.'
Alex was a high-ranking officer in the organization, but he was not the supreme commander. That point set him apart from Jiha. Jiha could run his own organization however he pleased. Alex, on the other hand, had people above him whose reactions he had to consider. And Jiha was driving the wedge straight into that gap.
'Alex knows where Gashiel is. And Ouroboros does not. There it is—Alex's weak point!'
In that brief exchange, Jiha had identified his opponent's vulnerability.
Alex's composure had now completely crumbled. The face he wore as he stared at Jiha was openly hostile. It was the look of a boy staring at a stronger friend who was about to take his toy away.
Jiha shook his head.
"The rest of Ouroboros doesn't know, right? Other than you."
"...What exactly do you intend to do?"
"Even if I do join Ouroboros, do I really have to go through you?"
Jiha feigned an air of nonchalance.
"Wouldn't I earn even more credit if I joined by exposing a traitor within the organization?"
"......."
Alex offered no reply.
By refusing to answer, he had tacitly admitted that concealing Gashiel's whereabouts from Ouroboros was no different from an act of betrayal.
'Gashiel is his personal toy, is that it...'
The conclusion solidified in Jiha's mind.
Ouroboros had wanted to verify whether Bugra worked on a Unique. And they didn't especially care which Unique it was.
So why had they gone out of their way to have Heinrich make a move on Barjet? A plan that cost significant time and effort? One that had failed, as it happened, leaving Jiha as the ultimate beneficiary?
No matter how he thought about it, the fastest method would have been for Alex to feed the drug to Gashiel.
"Destroy the existing order to prove your loyalty to the organization, you said?"
"......."
"Is Gashiel an exception?"
Alex let out a measured sigh and forced another smile.
"I haven't the faintest idea what you're talking about."
"You should know. Or I'll make sure you find out."
Jiha spoke flatly and gave a small flick of his fingers.
"Plenty of people would be thrilled to hear about what you've been doing."
"......."
The Five Kings, with one seat vacant, made four. And with Alex right in front of him, that left three others.
Would those three simply pretend not to notice if they learned Alex had been playing this game?
He was only probing, but the fact that Alex couldn't answer confirmed it: this was his Achilles' heel.
"...What do you want me to do?"
Alex bared his teeth, and Jiha smiled gently.
Now that Alex's weak point had been laid bare, control of this situation belonged entirely to Jiha.
"Shall we have a drink?"
"......."
Even when Jiha raised his glass, Alex didn't move a muscle.
Jiha tipped the drink lightly into his mouth and then delivered his declaration in a calm, even voice.
"Hand her over."
"...What?"
"That precious thing you've been hiding so jealously. Hand her over. Do that, and I'll pretend this never happened."
Murderous intent rose on Alex's face.
Jiha sneered.
"Destroying the existing order is how you prove your loyalty, right? Fine. I'll do the destroying for you."
"You..."
"I'll toss your lovely sister to a pack of starved beasts. That'll tear the order to pieces in spectacular fashion."
"You son of a..."
As Alex trembled with rage, Jiha laughed.
"What do you think happens if Ouroboros finds out?"
"......."
If Alex's concealment of Gashiel's whereabouts came to light, he would pay a price commensurate with the crime. Ouroboros treated its members as expendable goods. A member of the Five Kings probably wouldn't be discarded as casually as the rest... but if he was caught so openly defying them, punishment would be unavoidable. And more than anything, Gashiel would most certainly not be allowed to walk away from this in one piece.
"Choose."
Jiha issued the command.
"Offer your precious sister to me—or offer her to the organization."
Handling a man who treasured his toy was simple. You just had to make him understand that the toy could be taken away.